Influences of Stabilizers on the Microstructure and Properties of Sol-Gel Tin Doped Indium Oxide Thin Films

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The tin doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films were prepared by sol-gel dip-coating process from InCl2.4H2O and SnCl4 in alcoholic solutions. The influences of organic ligands, including acetylacetone (AcAc) and diethanolamine (DEA), on the stability and the composition of the sols, and on the microstructure and properties of the thin films have been investigated. It is indicated that a suitable amount of DEA or AcAc helped to keep the stability of the ITO sols, and helpful for the formation of the homogeneous thin films. The TG-DSC and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the organic ligands also had effect on the crystallization temperature and crystal structures of the thin films. The thin films with DEA as coordination ligands had a good crystal quality when heated at 450°C. As a result, it exhibited a better electrical property than that with AcAc as stabilizers.